Senate intelligence chair signals US more vulnerable to election threats than in 2020

Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) sounded the alarm on potential threats to the upcoming election, warning in a recent interview that the U.S. may be more vulnerable now than it was four years ago.

Warner told The Associated Press in an interview Monday the increase in political candidates willing to spread disinformation, new artificial intelligence (AI) programs and more advanced disinformation tactics by Russia and China could result in more foreign influence in November’s election.

“We may be less prepared 155 days out in 2024 than we were under President Trump [in 2020],” Warner told the AP.

The news agency also noted many tech companies have suspended their efforts to curb election misinformation on their websites. YouTube reversed its prior policy last year and now allows content that denies the validity of the 2020 presidential election and other elections and false claims about voter fraud.

After tech billionaire Elon Musk purchased Twitter in 2022, false claims of election interference in the 2020 began to spread unchecked on the social platform, now known as X. In the months leading up to and following the 2020 election, Twitter cracked down on users spreading false claims about the election.

Warner suggested in the interview he is unsure whether the tech companies “have done anything in a meaningful way.”

His warning also comes months after AI-generated robocalls were made to voters ahead of the New Hampshire primary that sounded like the voice of President Biden telling them not to vote. The Federal Communications Commission later banned the use of AI-generated voices in robocalls in February.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency unveiled a new program earlier this year that hopes to increase election security in the states as the threats of misinformation and cyberattacks continues to rise. The agency’s website includes guidance for state and local officials on how to curb online risks in the upcoming election.

“For years, America’s adversaries have targeted U.S. elections as part of their efforts to undermine U.S. global standing, sow discord inside the United States, and influence U.S. voters and decision making,” the website reads. “We expect 2024 to be no different. U.S. elections remain an attractive target for both nation-states and cyber criminals.”

The Associated Press contributed.